Irrigating apparatus.



C. Wi SKNNB.. IRRIGATING APPARATUS, APPLICATION FILED PEB. 2.1, N10.

Eatented Juy'Z, 19M.

a W v "fig U. W. SKINNER. IBRIGATINGJAPPAEATUS. APPLIGA'IION FILED FEB.I21, 19.10. v

Limes@ -2 SHEETS-HEBT 2.

Patented July' 28, 1914.

UNTTED sTATEs CHARLES. W.

PATENT OFFICE;

SKINNRR, or TRoY, onro, As'sre'NoR Tov THR SRINNER IRRIGATION C OMPANY, or TROY, oHIo, A CORPORATION or OHIO.

IRRIGATING APPARATUS.

Application fnedrebruery 21, 191e. smal no. 545,036.

` ToaZZ whom t may concern.'

Beit known that I, CHARLES W. SKINNER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Troy iin the county of Miami and State'of Ohio,'l1ave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Irrigating Apparatus, of

which the following is a speciicatlon.-

This invention re ates to improvements in -apparatus for sprinkling growing plants,

and it relates more particularly to devices for automatically changing the direction of the streams of Water, y

The object of the invention is to provide a-sprinkling apparatus which Will be simple in construction, capable of being easily and cheaply installed and Which Will-bedeifective in its operation.

The invention consists the constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l1- is a top plan view of an apparatus embodying my invention` Fig. 2 is an enlarged top upright supports, as.

plan vienT of the turning device shown in' Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation vof the same.

Like parts are represented vby similar .characters of reference in the several views.

1909, and a brief description of which, with.

special .reference to Fig. l, isas follows: a and a. represent a series of sprinkler pipes, each of which is provided with a series of nozzles a2 of any Well-known construction ;v these pipes being supported upon the usual .Each of the pipes a and c are rotatably connected to a- Water supply pipe, a3, by a rotatable connection which comprises a projecting piece, a4. To each of these pieces at is secured a segment 0.5, about Which extends an auxiliary cable, a. connected to a. continuous main cable, c7, this main cable being extended over the entire series of pipes so as to connect them all together so that when the cable is moved all of the pipes will be rotated in unison, as `fully described in my said application. In my said application referred to this cable was connected to a hand-turning device soV that it required the attention of the operator to sol manipulate the device as to direct V"the"irrigating streams to the different points desired, Which not only made the' operationA lof such a plant more or less expensive but also caused to a great extent, an uneven disltribution of the Water. In the present de- ;vice, instead of the hand-turning device, I employra'epower operated mechanism caplable of being automatically reversed so as tost turn the sprinkler pipes in one direction and then in the opposite direction; 'this mechanism being also so arranged as to 4,provide for different speeds in the rotation @of the pipes during the turning operation "as will vbe more .fully explained hereinafter. The mechanisml forming this turning de- ;vice is mounted upon a suitabley base, B. Extending transversely across one end of the :base is a driving shaft, b, which is continuously rotated from any suitable source of power, such as a gas engine, through the medium of the driving pulley b secured to one end of said shaft; this shaft being -located inbearings, b2 on said frame. Lo-l cated in bearing b3 on said frame and also extendingtransversely across the same, parallel With the shaft b is a second shaft, b4 which has secured thereto a gear b5, meshing with the pinion b on the shaft, b, so as to be continuously. rotatedfrom said shaft b. .Secured to one end of the shaft b4 is a Worm, 57 and alsoadjustably secured thereon is a pinion, bs; the pinion bs being adapted'to be secured to said shaft by the setscreiv, t". Located in suitable bear-ings, Z210 on said frame and extending transversely across the same parallel to the shafts just described is a third shaft, 611 which carries a gear' 612 adapted to mesh with the pinion, 58 and to be driven thereby. Also extending transversely across the frame parallel to the shafts before described and located in suitable bearings, 613' thereon .is a fourth shaft 614 which carries a gear Z215 meshing with a" pinion 1 secured to the shaft Z211. i555e tending longitudinally of the frame, above the respective shafts, "o4", o and blt, is a fifth shaft b, supported in suitable bearings, b on said frame. rIhis shaft 517 has ice secured thereto at one end a worni'gear, bm, adapted to mesh vwith the Worm, 57 on the shaft b4. rlhis Worin gear 1 is adjustably secured to said shaft-.7)17 by a set-screw L20 for the purpose hereinafter referred to. Secured to the other end of saidv shaft Z1 is a ivoi'm b21 which meshes With a worm gear Z122 secured to the shaft L1".

rlhe result of the construction thus far described is that two different sets of driving mechanism are provided for the gear Z215, one being through the pinion 5S, gear 512 and pinion, b1, which is the high speed, and the other being through the Worm worm gear 7N, Worm b21 and Worm gear, bjz, Which constitutes the low speed. speed is in operation the pinion 22S Will be slid along; its shaft to inoperative position as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Then the high speed is in operation the Worin gear b1 v vill be moved along its shaft out of mesh ivith the Worin 57.

Secured to the gear ZJ is a beveled gear imitv to said gear segment is a shaft c2, lo-

cated in suitable bearings 03 on said frame. This shaft ci carries tivo beveled pinions c" and c5 adapted `to mesh with the;` gear segment c. The other end of the shaft c2, also carries a sheave or pulley c about which passes lthe cable a7 previously referred to. The construction of the gear segment e, and the pinioiis is such that as the gear segment lea ves one of said piiiions it Will immediately engage with the other pinion and reverse the direiiion of rotation of the vshafts and li'ence of the respective sprinkler pipes. By having the teeth of the gear segment c further apart at the central portion, than the teeth at the respective ends of the segment, there will be more or less lost motion so that the speed of the shaft c2 ivill be reduced. rllliis reduces the speed of the rotation of the sprinkler pipes to the minimum -at the time the nozzles are directing the streams of ivater in a vertical direction, gradually increasing the speed of the pipes as tue same approach the limit of their movenient on either side of the vertical line, thus causing a more even distribution of the Water. 1

lVlien the low claim l. In an irrigating system, a plurality of sprinkler pipes, each of said pipes having a series of nozzles, a ivater supply connected with said pipes, means for oscillating said pipes simultaneously' from a common point, and means for gradually increasing the speed of the oscillatory movement of said pipes from a vertical position of said nozzles, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In an irrigating system, a plurality of sprinkler pipes, a series of nozzles connected ivith each of said pipes, a Water supply also connected with said pipes, means for oscillatiiig said pipes simultaneously from a common point, and means for gradually increasing the speed of the oscillatory movement of said pipes in either direct-ion from a vertical position of said nozzles, substantially as specified.

3. In a system of irrigation, a plurality of sprinkler pipes, a series of nozzles connected With said pipes, a Water supply for said pipesga'oiver operated dericesfor oscillating said pipes simultaneously from a common point, means for changing the speed of said poiver 4operated devices, and means for gradually increasing the speed of the oscillatory movement of said pipes from a verticalposition of said nozzles, substantially as y specified.

4.111 an irritating system, a series of sprinklerpipes, and an operating device for 'oscillating said pipes in unison, said operating evice comprising a gear segment and tivo pinions adapted to be driven by said segment in opposite directions, the distance betiveen the teeth of said segment being gradually increased from each end ofthe segment toward the center, substantially as and .for the purpose specilied.

ln testimony ivhereof, l have hereunto set my hand'this 5th day of February, 1910.

CHARLES lV. SKINNER.

lVitnesses FLORENCE L. Dn Farias, L. -l-I. SI-iiraiaN. 

